Women's Hoops Hosts St. Ambrose Sunday

Nov. 6, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes: St. Ambrose

THE SETTING:
The 19th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts St. Ambrose in an exhibition game Sunday at 3 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $5 for adults and free for youth (18 and under) and UI students. Free posters, schedule cards, magnets, and schedule key tags will be available while supplies last.

SEASON TICKETS:
Season tickets are on sale for the 2014-15 Iowa women’s basketball season. General public season tickets are $100. UI faculty/staff can purchase tickets for $80. Seniors (50 and older) are also $80, while youth season tickets (18 or younger) are $25. UI students are admitted free to women’s basketball games. Tickets are available by visiting the ticket office at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or online at hawkeyesports.com.

AUDIO COVERAGE:
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Sunday’s game for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City, AM-600 WMT in Cedar Rapids, AM-1040 WHO in Des Moines (and other Hawkeye Radio Network stations), or on the Hawkeye All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com. Balbinot is in his 11th season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her 10th providing analysis.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats (Gametracker). The “GT” link can be accessed under the “Calendar” tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page.

SCOUTING ST. AMBROSE:
St. Ambrose opens the 2014-15 season ranked No. 20 in the NAIA preseason top-25 coaches’ poll. The Bees were picked as the Midwest Collegiate Conference preseason favorite. St. Ambrose is coming off a 26-6 campaign that saw the Bees win MCC regular season and tournament championships while qualifying for the NAIA National Tournament. Like the Hawkeyes, St. Ambrose ended the 2013-14 season ranked No. 19 nationally. The Bees defeated Judson, 81-59, in their season opener on Nov. 1. Katie Jensen finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Devan Griffin added 24 points and 11 boards.

IOWA – ST. AMBROSE CONNECTIONS:
Brette Logic, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard for St. Ambrose, is the sister of Iowa senior All-American Samantha Logic. She wears No. 24 for the Bees.

Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder began her coaching career at St. Ambrose University, where she coached six successful seasons (1984-80) building the Bees into a NAIA powerhouse. During her tenure at St. Ambrose, Bluder recorded a 169-36 (.824) mark and guided the Bees to four-straight national tournaments, including two consecutive Final Four appearances. The 1990 St. Ambrose team was ranked No. 1 and Bluder was named the NAIA Converse Coach of the Year.

HAWKEYES 19TH IN RANKINGS:
Iowa is ranked No. 19 in the Preseason Associated Press Top-25 poll and the USA Today Preseason Coaches poll. The Hawkeyes finished the 2013-14 season ranked 19th in the AP Top-25 poll, and 26th (receiving votes) in the USA Today Coaches poll. Iowa was ranked for eight weeks last season in the AP poll, and received votes in nine additional weeks. The Big Ten is tied with the ACC for the most ranked teams in the AP poll (five). Big Ten newcomer Maryland sits at No. 10, while Michigan State (No. 14), Nebraska (No. 16) and Iowa all cracked the top 20. Rutgers is tied for 24th. Purdue, Penn State, Minnesota, and Northwestern are receiving votes.

WATCH THE HAWKEYES:
Twenty-five of Iowa’s 29 regular season contests can be seen on BTN, BTN Plus, ESPN2, ESPN3, or MC22 (Mediacom Connections). Seventeen games will appear on BTN or digitally on BTN Plus, and two additional regular season contests will be televised by ESPN2. All 18 of Iowa’s league games can be seen on one of the BTN or ESPN platforms, and the Hawkeyes’ home nonconference contest against Iowa State on Dec. 11 will be televised by BTN at 7 p.m. (CT).

NCAA STREAK BEST IN BIG TEN:
Iowa is the only Big Ten team, and one of only 14 teams in the country, to appear in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. There are 343 Division I teams. Iowa is 1-of-21 teams to advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. The Hawkeyes, a No. 6 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, defeated 11th-seeded Marist in the First Round, 87-65, marking the fourth-largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.

IOWA PICKED 3RD; LOGIC NAMED ALL-BIG TEN:
Iowa has been picked to finish third behind Maryland and Michigan State in the 2014-15 Coaches Big Ten preseason rankings, while senior Samantha Logic has been named preseason All-Big Ten by league media and coaches.

Logic earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press and the WBCA as a junior last year. The Racine, Wisconsin, native was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches, and a first team selection by the media to become the 18th Iowa player to garner first team All-Big Ten honors — the most of any Big Ten program.

RETURNING SCORING POWER:
Last season, Iowa set the school record for scoring offense (78.2), leading the league in scoring while notching the second-most points in a season in Big Ten history (2,814). Iowa returns 84 percent of its scoring from last season, including 10 letterwinners and four starters that all averaged double-figures: All-Big Ten honoree Bethany Doolittle (14.2 points per game), All-American Samantha Logic (13.3), All-Big Ten honoree Ally Disterhoft (13.2), and Melissa Dixon (13.1).

ROSTER CHANGES FOR 2014-15:
Theairra Taylor averaged 12.4 points per game last season as a senior. Iowa returns all other 10 letterwinners from a year ago, and adds a promising freshmen class that includes 6-foot forward Christina Buttenham (Canadian Junior Women’s National Team member), 6-foot-3 forward Chase Coley (Gatorade Minnesota Girls Basketball Player of the Year), 5-foot-5 guard Whitney Jennings (Indiana Miss Basketball), and 6-foot-1 forward Carly Mohns (first-team all-state).

SEASON IN REVIEW:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team finished the 2013-14 campaign with a 27-9 overall record, including an 11-5 mark in Big Ten play. Iowa finished tied for fourth in the league with Purdue. The Hawkeyes were an at-large selection for the NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 6 seed and hosting the First and Second rounds. Iowa defeated No. 11 seed Marist, 87-65, in the First Round, marking the fourth-largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game in program history. The Hawkeyes fell to No. 3 seed and fourth-ranked Louisville, 83-53, in the Second Round.

MOST WINS SINCE 1995-96:
Iowa’s 27 wins last year marked the highest total under UI head coach Lisa Bluder, and the highest since Iowa finished 27-4 in 1995-96. Seven of Iowa’s nine losses came against ranked opponents. The Hawkeyes’ 27 victories equal the second-highest total in program history. Iowa also won 27 games in 1995-96 (27-4), 1992-93 (27-4), and 1988-89 (27-5). The program record for single-season victories is 29, as the Hawkeyes went 29-2 during the 1987-88 season. Iowa defeated Illinois inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 13 (69-55), earning its 20th win of the season and becoming the first Big Ten team to reach the mark. The Hawkeyes have won 20 games or more in a season eight times under Lisa Bluder, including six of the last seven seasons (Iowa finished 19-12 in 2011-12). Dating back to the 1984-85 season, Iowa has reached the 20-win mark 18 times. Iowa won its 20th game last season in its 26th contest, marking the fastest year to 20 wins under Bluder, and fastest since the 1995-96 season. That year, the Hawkeyes won their 20th in their 21st game under head coach Angie Lee. Iowa started 20-1 and finished 27-4 while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

OTHER 2014 HIGHLIGHTS:
? Lisa Bluder surpassed C. Vivian Stringer as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach on Feb. 10 as the Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern, 90-84.
? Three Hawkeyes – Samantha Logic, Kali Peschel, Kathryn Reynolds – named Academic All-Big Ten (Iowa has earned 67 Academic All-Big Ten honors under head coach Lisa Bluder, tying for the third-most in the conference during that time span.)
? Logic was named an honorable mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Logic becomes the first Hawkeye to earn WBCA All-America honors since Kachine Alexander (honorable mention) in 2010 and 2011.
? Logic was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press. Logic was 1-of-49 NCAA Division I players to earn Associated Press All-America honors. Sam is the first Hawkeye to garner AP All-America Honors since Alexander and Jaime Printy in 2011 (honorable mention).
? Logic, the Big Ten leader in assists, notched three triple-doubles last season, becoming the first Big Ten player to record three triple-doubles in a single season.
? Logic ranked second nationally in triple-doubles. Entering the 2013-14 campaign, there had only been 11 seasons in NCAA history in which a player registered three or more triple-doubles.
? Logic was named 1-of-22 watch list finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award,
? The Hawkeyes advanced to the Big Ten Tournament title game for the fourth time in program history.
? Bethany Doolittle and Samantha Logic and Ally Disterhoft were named to the Big Ten all-tournament team. Disterhoft became the first Iowa freshman ever named to the team.
? Three Hawkeyes — Samantha Logic, Bethany Doolittle, and Ally Disterhoft — received All-Big Ten recognition. Logic was a unanimous first team selection by the coaches, and a first team selection by the media. Doolittle garnered second team honors from both the coaches and media, and was named to the All-Defensive team. Disterhoft was 1-of-5 league rookies named to the All-Freshman team, while also garnering honorable mention all-league accolades. Senior Theairra Taylor earned Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award nomination. Logic becomes the 18th Iowa player to garner first-team All-Big Ten honors, marking the most of any Big Ten program. Kachine Alexander was the last Hawkeye to earn first team honors (2010, 2011).
? Logic surpassed Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader and became the 31st 1,000-point scorer in program history. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week three times.
? Iowa won at No. 9 Penn State on Feb. 6, 73-70, marking the Hawkeyes’ first win over a top-10 team away from Iowa City since defeating No. 7 Purdue, 75-70, in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament title game (March 4, 2001), and Iowa’s first in a true road game since winning at No. 9 Southern California, 50-49, on Dec. 30, 1993.
? Samantha Logic (assists), Melissa Dixon (3-pointers), and Bethany Doolittle (blocks) all set new single-season program records.
? Dixon finished with seven 3-point field goals in wins over Syracuse and UNC-Wilmington, tying a personal and school record; the feat has been accomplished five times in program history (twice by Dixon).
? Iowa defeated Idaho State on Dec. 7, 95-47, converting a school record 17 made 3-point field goals. The previous record was 14, last accomplished on Dec. 22, 2011, against Mississippi Valley State.
? Iowa led the Big Ten in scoring average and assists.
? The Hawkeyes shattered the school record for total assists in a season (644).
? The Hawkeyes also set the school record for scoring offense in 2013-14 (78.2), leading the league in scoring while scoring the second-most points in a season in Big Ten history (2,814).
? Kathryn Reynolds was nominated for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Allstate Good Works Team; 1-of-84 WBCA nominees for the prestigious award; 1-of-5 student-athletes from the Big Ten.
? The Hawkeyes won the Mayan Division at the Cancun Challenge and captured the Hawkeye Challenge title.

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic (622 career assists) surpassed Cara Consuegra (1997-2001; 576) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader during Iowa’s win at Illinois on March 2 in the regular season finale. She ranks ninth in Big Ten history.
? Melissa Dixon is fifth in 3-pointers on Iowa’s all-time list (210). She surpassed Kristi Smith during Iowa’s game at Purdue on Feb. 16. Wendy Ausdemore is fourth all-time with 221.
? Bethany Doolittle is third all-time with 184 career blocks. She surpassed Megan Skouby who is now fourth with 150, during Iowa’s game against Nebraska on Feb. 1. Tangela Smith is second with 235.

HAWKEYES AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA:
Iowa went 14-4 at home last season, and is 89-23 in its last 112 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 349-101 (.776) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and 11-6 in NCAA Tournament games. Iowa’s 14 home wins a year ago equaled the second-highest single-season total in program history. The 14 wins were the most in Iowa City since the Hawkeyes finished 14-0 in the 1995-96 season. Iowa also won 14 home games in 1988-89 (14-0), 1987-88 (14-0), 1986-87 (14-1), 1985-86 (14-1). The program record for home wins is 15, as the Hawkeyes finished 15-0 in 1992-93. Iowa advanced to the NCAA Final Four that season.

ANOTHER TOP ATTENDANCE YEAR:
Iowa ranked 22nd in the country in attendance last season, averaging 4,395 fans per contest. Last year marks the fourth-straight season that Iowa has ranked inside the top 25 in attendance. The Hawkeyes were 19th in attendance in each of the previous two years, and were 13th in 2010.

MOST B1G VICTORIES:
Head coach Lisa Bluder has 138 career Big Ten victories (138-92), surpassing former Ohio State head coach Jim Foster (136) for the fourth-most in league history. Rene Portland of Penn State has the most in conference history (176). Former Hawkeye head coach C. Vivian Stringer is second with 169 wins, and Karen Langeland of Michigan State has the third most (156).

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,168 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 719-449 (.613). That includes a 359-183 (.660) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 349-101 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWAWBB.COM:
Check out the Iowa women’s basketball team’s website, iowawbb.com, devoted to everything on-and-off-the-court surrounding the program. Iowawbb.com, allows fans a chance to go behind the scenes with the Hawkeye basketball program on and off the court. The site is complete with exclusive videos, photo galleries, and content featuring the basketball program.

UP NEXT:
Iowa opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 14, hosting USC Upstate at 6 p.m. The Hawkeye men follow with their home-opener against Hampton at 8:30 p.m.